Security Systems News - SecureWatch24http://securitysystemsnews.com/taxonomy/term/2838
enSW24, not-for-profit team up on video surveillancehttp://securitysystemsnews.com/article/sw24-not-profit-team-video-surveillance
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<div class="field-item even">SW24 will install 80 cameras, whose video will be streamed to the NYPD’s crime center</div>
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<div class="field-item even" property="schema:datePublished dc:date"><span class="date-display-single" property="schema:datePublished dc:date" datatype="xsd:dateTime" content="2014-01-22T00:00:00-05:00">01/22/2014</span></div>
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<div class="field-item even" rel="schema:author dc:creator">Leif Kothe</div>
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<div class="field-item even" property="schema:articleBody content:encoded"> <p>NEW YORK—SecureWatch24, a full-service security company here, has been awarded a $1 million contract with a private sector not-for-profit organization to install 80 camera boxes in two Brooklyn neighborhoods—one of which was the setting of a high-profile crime in 2011. </p>
<p>The video from all 80 cameras will be streamed to the NYPD’s Real Time Crime Center as part of SW24’s public-private partnership, the Citywide Safety Initiative. </p>
<p>Desmond Smyth, president of SW24, and a former NYPD officer himself, believes this type of collaboration is a preview to how municipalities will do video surveillance in the future. The deal, forged with the not-for-profit Agudath Israel of America, and made possible through New York state grant funds, is structured to make the most efficient use of public resources and to maximize the NYPD’s technical familiarity with the program, Smyth said. </p>
<p>“It’s almost a mantra with me: You cannot deliver cutting-edge technology to companies or municipalities and then walk away,” he said. “It’s like handing someone a rocket ship and saying ‘good luck.’”</p>
<p>SW24 has contracted with the not-for-profit for a three-year period, during which time it will manage the program, which involves the strategic placement of surveillance cameras throughout the neighborhoods of Midwood and Borough Park. The latter neighborhood was where Leiby Kletzky, an eight-year old boy, was abducted while walking home on July 11, 2011. Days later, authorities discovered the child had been murdered. </p>
<p>“The perpetrator was a mentally ill individual who panicked [after carrying out the abduction] and murdered the child,” Smyth said. “We thought that if we had gotten video right away, authorities would have recognized him and possibly prevented this.”</p>
<p>New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who represents the district that covers the two neighborhoods, knew SW24 had some experience and proficiency operating large camera networks and approached the company about “building and designing a camera program that can blanket our neighborhood at strategic points with cameras,” Smyth said. He added that Hikind specifically wanted a network that established a deterrence factor and reduced response times.</p>
<p>“We got our engineers together, took some concepts and technology we had shelved until a later date, and said, ‘Let’s make this happen,’” Smyth said. “Within days we had most of the foundation ready for what we wanted.”</p>
<p>Though SW24 is responsible for oversight of the camera system, the company’s access to the cameras will be confined to a “limited basis and for maintenance only,” Smyth said, adding that SW24’s central station will “coordinate, maintain and manage the network” for the duration of the three-year period. </p>
<p>The NYPD, on the other hand, will have a greater degree of access to the cameras, but can still only view footage in the event of a crime in progress, suspected criminal activity or an emergency. The project “breaks the mold,” according to Smyth, through its use of independent cameras instead of city cameras to conduct municipal surveillance. Using private cameras is not only less expensive; it also allows for greater network flexibility, Smyth said. </p>
<p>He says the public-private partnership can be a model in the future for municipalities on tight budgets. </p>
<p>“We know these are powerful deterrents, but we also know there are manpower and budgetary restraints,” Smyth said. “If there’s any way to create additional components to help these public safety projects, let’s do it.”</p> </div>
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<span property="dc:title" content="SW24, not-for-profit team up on video surveillance" class="rdf-meta element-hidden"></span>Wed, 22 Jan 2014 18:37:00 +0000Leah Hoenen17165 at http://securitysystemsnews.comhttp://securitysystemsnews.com/article/sw24-not-profit-team-video-surveillance#commentsTOTUS, SecureWatch24 announce partnershiphttp://securitysystemsnews.com/also-noted/totus-securewatch24-announce-partnership
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<div class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single" property="dc:date" datatype="xsd:dateTime" content="2013-09-04T00:00:00-04:00">09/04/2013</span></div>
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<div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"> <p>AUSTIN, Texas—TOTUS Solutions, Inc. and SecureWatch24 have teamed up to offer a channel partnership combining lighting-based security systems and video surveillance. The companies announced the deal Sept. 3.</p>
<p> “TOTUS is structured to help channel partners like SW24 in creating new business opportunities with our innovative approach to deploy outdoor lighting and security,” said John Hanby, TOTUS Solutions senior vice president of worldwide sales, in a prepared statement. “SW24 merges traditional law enforcement techniques with advanced security technologies and our purpose built security platforms will be an ideal match to complement their philosophy.”</p>
<p>TOTUS Security Platforms use lighting, IP surveillance, media storage and wireless communications to help prevent crime, according to the release. SW24 is a security and monitoring company.</p>
<p>Jay Stuck, SW24 chief marketing officer, said the TOTUS Security Platforms combination of lighting, IP surveillance, and Active Deterrence capabilities will extend his company’s ability to provide security. SW24 plans to demonstrate the TOTUS platforms at the ASIS International trade show in Chicago, Sept 24-26.</p> </div>
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<span property="dc:title" content="TOTUS, SecureWatch24 announce partnership" class="rdf-meta element-hidden"></span>Wed, 04 Sep 2013 14:46:50 +0000Leah Hoenen16741 at http://securitysystemsnews.comhttp://securitysystemsnews.com/also-noted/totus-securewatch24-announce-partnership#commentsAT&T launches Digital Life in 15 new marketshttp://securitysystemsnews.com/article/att-launches-digital-life-15-new-markets
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<div class="field-item even">The telecom also is making a big push to sell its home security/home automation product in AT&amp;T retail stores</div>
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<div class="field-item even" property="schema:datePublished dc:date"><span class="date-display-single" property="schema:datePublished dc:date" datatype="xsd:dateTime" content="2013-04-26T00:00:00-04:00">04/26/2013</span></div>
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<div class="field-item even" rel="schema:author dc:creator">Tess Nacelewicz</div>
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<div class="field-item even" property="schema:articleBody content:encoded"> <p>DALLAS—After successful trials of Digital Life last year here and in Atlanta, AT&amp;T today launched the home security/home automation service in 15 additional major markets nationwide, ranging from San Francisco to Miami.</p>
<p>AT&amp;T, which is based here, has said it <a href="http://securitysystemsnews.com/also-noted/att-expands-home-security-automation-more-markets" target="_blank">plans</a> to reach up to 50 markets by the end of 2013. Kuriko Hasegawa of AT&amp;T Corporate Communications told <em>Security Systems News </em>the company also intends “to build Digital Life out nationally in 2014.”</p>
<p>In addition to being available online and from AT&amp;T call centers, Digital Life also now can be purchased at 450 AT&amp;T stores in the 15 markets, Hasegawa told SSN. That makes the telecom a significant player in the growing new trend of selling home security in a retail environment.</p>
<p>“So, if you’re in one of these markets you can actually go to the store and look at the display. … A lot of our competitors don’t actually have storefronts, but AT&amp;T does,” Hasegawa said.</p>
<p>The company-owned retail stores will allow customers “to order and demo the new service with a free customized app,” the company said.</p>
<p>Eventually, Hasegawa said, Digital Life will be available in all 2,300 AT&amp;T stores nationwide.</p>
<p>In addition to this city and Atlanta, Digital Life as of today is now available in Austin, Texas; Boulder, Colo.; Chicago; Denver; Houston; Los Angeles; Miami; Philadelphia; Riverside, Calif.; San Francisco; Seattle; St. Louis and select areas of metropolitan New York and New Jersey, the company said.</p>
<p>Hasegawa said AT&amp;T also plans to do direct marketing of Digital Life. But Kevin Petersen, senior VP, AT&amp;T Digital Life, has said selling the product in its retail stores is a significant part of the company's <a href="http://www.securitysystemsnews.com/article/att-bullish-security" target="_blank">sales strategy</a>. Retail also is an approach increasingly being used by other companies large and small.</p>
<p>For example, The Alarm Company, a small traditional security company in Madison, Miss., says it is having great success with a <a href="http://www.securitysystemsnews.com/article/traditional-security-company-goes-retail" target="_blank">retail location</a> it opened in September.</p>
<p>Also, earlier this year, SecureWatch24 announced it was opening <a href="http://securitysystemsnews.com/article/sw24-adds-diy-tap-apartment-market" target="_blank">a store</a> in New York City to sell security systems to apartment dwellers.</p>
<p>In addition, retail giant Lowe’s recently said it is selling its Iris product not only its own stores but in <a href="http://www.securitysystemsnews.com/article/lowe-s-selling-iris-verizon-wireless-stores" target="_blank">Verizon Wireless stores</a>.</p>
<p>AT&amp;T said Digital Life allows customers to “secure your home, check in on your kids or pets, adjust the temperature, let your house sitter in the front door, or check to see if you closed your garage door, from almost anywhere … in a customizable and easy-to-use experience from smartphones, tablets or PCs.”</p>
<p>The service is professionally monitored. The company has two monitoring centers, one here and one in Atlanta, Hasegawa said.</p>
<p>“Since Digital Life uses all-digital service, most monitoring centers are not equipped to handle the incoming signal without major modifications. For this reason, we decided to build our own U.S.-based monitoring center versus sourcing analog monitoring and converting the signal. This enhances the experience and opens up new opportunities for us in the future,” Hasegawa told SSN by email.</p>
<p>The product also is professionally installed, she said. “An authorized AT&amp;T Digital Life technician will install your Digital Life systems—for certain devices AT&amp;T will coordinate specially licensed AT&amp;T certified professionals, like electricians, plumbers [and] HVAC technicians to do installation,” Hasegawa said.</p>
<p>In its April 26 news release announcing the launch, AT&amp;T noted: “The security business is an $18 billion industry so there are a lot of opportunities for growth—especially when it comes to automation. Only 20 percent of homes have security systems and less than 1 percent have home automation. That’s an 80 percent market availability that we can capitalize on.”</p>
<p>The company offers two packages with what it termed “very competitive pricing out of the gate because we offer an all IP-based platform.”</p>
<p>Simple Security “includes 24/7 home monitoring, 24-hour battery backup, a wireless keypad, keychain remote, recessed sensors and an indoor siren for $29.99 a month plus $149.99 for equipment and installation.”</p>
<p>Smart Security includes all the benefits of Simple Security “plus a choice of three of the following features: motion sensor, carbon monoxide sensor, glass break sensor, smoke sensor or takeover kit. Smart Security begins at $39.99 a month plus $249.99 for equipment and installation.”</p>
<p>Customers can also add other automation features, such as cameras and thermostat control, for additional monthly charges that range from $4.99 to $9.99.</p> </div>
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<span property="dc:title" content="AT&amp;T launches Digital Life in 15 new markets" class="rdf-meta element-hidden"></span>Fri, 26 Apr 2013 19:23:12 +0000Tess Nacelewicz16348 at http://securitysystemsnews.comhttp://securitysystemsnews.com/article/att-launches-digital-life-15-new-markets#commentsTraditional security company goes retailhttp://securitysystemsnews.com/article/traditional-security-company-goes-retail
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<div class="field-item even">The Alarm Company’s new store in a strip mall draws customers, creates buzz and is part of a new trend</div>
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<div class="field-item even" property="schema:datePublished dc:date"><span class="date-display-single" property="schema:datePublished dc:date" datatype="xsd:dateTime" content="2013-03-27T00:00:00-04:00">03/27/2013</span></div>
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<div class="field-item even" rel="schema:author dc:creator">Tess Nacelewicz</div>
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<div class="field-item even" property="schema:articleBody content:encoded"> <p>MADISON, Miss.—The Alarm Company, located in an isolated industrial park for years, moved in September to a strip mall on a busy road here. Going retail has attracted customers, generated lots of free publicity and is the wave of the future, according to company owner Tony Collums.</p>
<p>“We just decided to come out of hiding and get where people could find us,” Collums, who also is president and director of operations of The Alarm Company, told Security Systems News. “That was my philosophy when I started the store and it has done exactly what I asked it to do.”</p>
<p>Collums said The Alarm Company—now in its 24th year and a new member of Honeywell’s First Alert Professional Dealer Program—opened its retail store to give the public “easier access to security, audio/visual and automation products.”</p>
<p>His company is at the forefront of a new trend of using a retail approach to sell security. Earlier this year, SecureWatch24 announced it was <a href="http://securitysystemsnews.com/article/sw24-adds-diy-tap-apartment-market">opening a store in New York</a> City to sell security systems to apartment dwellers.</p>
<p>And telecom giant AT&amp;T has told SSN that selling Digital Life, its home security/home automation product, in its retail stores is a key part of its <a href="http://www.securitysystemsnews.com/article/att-launch-digital-life-eight-markets-march">sales strategy</a>. Also, retail giant Lowe’s recently announced it is selling its Iris product not only its own stores but in <a href="http://www.securitysystemsnews.com/article/lowe-s-selling-iris-verizon-wireless-stores ">Verizon Wireless stores</a>.</p>
<p>Collums believes professional security companies like his have an edge over big-box stores and telecoms because of their expertise. “I think the biggest difference when you look at what we are versus AT&amp;T and Lowe’s is the fact that when you go in a retail store like that, they know just enough to be dangerous,” Collums said. “They really don’t know what they’re selling, they’ve got a pre-canned speech and if you go outside of those parameters, they’ve got problems.”</p>
<p>The Alarm Company offers burglar and fire alarms, CCTV surveillance systems, access control solutions, home theater and A/V systems, mostly in a 90-mile radius around Jackson, Miss. But Collums, who has 34 years of experience in the industry, said a retail store is “something that I felt for years needed to be done.”</p>
<p>He said that’s because small, independent security companies like The Alarm Company—which has about a dozen employees and about 8,000 customers—tend to locate in “not really visible” places such as industrial parks and multi-tenant office buildings.</p>
<p>“I’ve always felt we missed the boat in that we didn’t promote what we did, kind of like a Radio Shack or a Best Buy on a smaller scale,” he said. “We have the people who are trained and do this every day, so why don’t we have a place where a customer or anybody could come in off the street and either buy the products or learn about the products, or have a place to do a consultation?”</p>
<p>He said having The Alarm Company Store also makes it easier for customers to come and buy batteries for remotes “so they don’t have to pay us to do a service call to do something as simple as replace a battery.”</p>
<p>It may sound counterintuitive to have customers get their batteries at the store—The Alarm Company’s office is located at the back of the building—rather than have them pay for a service call. But Collums said, “It has helped us tremendously from the standpoint of exposure.”</p>
<p>He continued: “Even though we try to explain to people and show them what we do, when they walk into the store to pick up a battery or a new sign or pay a bill—that’s another thing; it makes it convenient for them to come in and drop off checks—when they walk in our store and see all the things we do, they say, ‘Oh gosh, I didn’t know you did all this.’ So word of mouth has spread about the amount of things and the type of things we do.”</p>
<p>For example, Collums said, the company installs flat-screen TVs and completed 600 to 700 installations last year. Now, at the store, “people say, ‘You’re The Alarm Company, we didn’t know you did that,’” Collums said.</p>
<p>Also, he said, not only is The Alarm Company’s name right across the front of its store, it’s also on a big sign at the front of the shopping center. “That sign is like a billboard that [can be seen] 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” he said.</p>
<p>He said homeowners in new nearby subdivisions that don’t have security systems “have seen our signs in the neighborhood and have seen our sign at the store and they come to us and say, ‘We bought a house that has no security system. We’d like to get a quote, or can you sell us the stuff to put in ourselves?’”</p>
<p>Collums sells pre-packaged, do-it-yourself systems. “We put together packages and have it programmed [with] each device marked as to what room and what window it goes to, and all they have to do is go stick it up and it’s a working system,” he said. “Then they pay us for monitoring and they feel like they saved some money by putting it in themselves.”</p>
<p>Collums recently wrote about going retail as a guest contributor on Honeywell’s <a href="http://blogs.honeywellsecurity.com/2013/03/retail/">The Security Channel blog</a>, offering advice to other independent dealers who want to follow his lead in order to compete with the big players in this rapidly changing industry. Collums predicted to SSN that more and more security companies around the country soon would be moving “to places of exposure so people can find them.” </p> </div>
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<span property="dc:title" content="Traditional security company goes retail" class="rdf-meta element-hidden"></span>Wed, 27 Mar 2013 17:01:20 +0000Leif Kothe16253 at http://securitysystemsnews.comhttp://securitysystemsnews.com/article/traditional-security-company-goes-retail#commentsGetting to know the media can improve ROIhttp://securitysystemsnews.com/blog/getting-know-media-can-improve-roi
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<div class="field-item even" property="schema:author dc:creator">Tess Nacelewicz</div>
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<div class="field-item even" property="schema:datePublished dc:created"><span class="date-display-single" property="schema:datePublished dc:created" datatype="xsd:dateTime" content="2012-06-28T00:00:00-04:00">06/28/2012</span></div>
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<div class="field-item even" property="schema:articleBody content:encoded"> <p><a href="http://www.securitysystemsnews.com/article/20-under-40-2012-erica-wood" target="_blank">Erica Wood</a>, co-owner and chief security officer of Dayton, Ohio-based American Fire &amp; Security, said she kept getting turned down by a business newspaper in her community when she tried to get it to publish news about her company.</p>
<p>It wasn’t until she met with the publication’s editor that she found out the paper only wanted stories focused on business growth. Now Wood knows how to tailor press releases about her company to win the interest of that publication.</p>
<p>Talking to editors and reporters to find out what kinds of information they’re looking for was one of the tips offered during a panel discussion I moderated today at the ESX show in Nashville, titled “Maximize Your Media Relations ROI.” The focus was on how to get favorable publicity to help market your company.</p>
<p>The session included lively discussion from audience members such as Wood, who shared their experiences and posed questions to the panel of public relations experts: Joseph Mitton, marketing coordinator, Select Security; Beth Welch, public relations manager, Honeywell Fire Systems; and Jay Stuck, chief marketing officer and VP, residential sales, Securewatch24.</p>
<p>Panel members offered a number of tips. Welch urged use of social media sites like Facebook and Linked In to get information out about company news and also make connections. And she said to make sure that media outlets correct any mistakes they make in writing about your company online, because those kinds of stories “last forever.”</p>
<p>Welch said that sometimes sending a compelling photo along with a press release can help catch a publication’s interest.</p>
<p>When it comes to deciding what’s newsworthy enough about a company to put in a press release, Stuck suggested to the audience that they ask themselves, “So what?” If they can’t answer that question, he said, it’s probably not news.</p>
<p>Among tips from Mitton, a former television journalist, was to work to establish friendly relationships with reporters and editors, making it easier to pitch them story ideas.</p>
<p>ESX recorded the session—something it’s doing for all the seminars offered here—so it will be available online. I hope you’ll find what we had to say rewarding for your company!</p> </div>
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<span property="dc:title" content="Getting to know the media can improve ROI" class="rdf-meta element-hidden"></span>Thu, 28 Jun 2012 04:38:56 +0000Tess Nacelewicz15514 at http://securitysystemsnews.comhttp://securitysystemsnews.com/blog/getting-know-media-can-improve-roi#commentsESX 2012: Maximize your ROI—by talking to the likes of me!http://securitysystemsnews.com/blog/esx-2012-maximize-your-roi-talking-likes-me
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<div class="field-item even" property="schema:author dc:creator">Tess Nacelewicz</div>
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<div class="field-item even" property="schema:datePublished dc:created"><span class="date-display-single" property="schema:datePublished dc:created" datatype="xsd:dateTime" content="2012-06-25T00:00:00-04:00">06/25/2012</span></div>
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<div class="field-item even" property="schema:articleBody content:encoded"> <p>Want a tip? One of you best ways to market your company may just well be contacting me.</p>
<p>No, I don’t have an inflated ego. What I’m talking about is good old-fashioned publicity about your company that I and other members of the media can provide—it’s still one of the best content market strategies there is. And you can learn about how to get the most out of media relations by attending a seminar I’m moderating this week at the ESX show in Nashville.</p>
<p>The seminar is called “Maximize Your Media Relations ROI,” and will take place Wed., June 27, from 10:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. in room 208. You’ll get lots of tips from our panel of public relations experts: Joseph Mitton, marketing coordinator, Select Security; Beth Welch, public relations manager, Honeywell Fire Systems; and Jay Stuck, chief marketing officer and VP, residential sales, Securewatch24.</p>
<p>We’ll answer such questions as “How do I figure out what is newsworthy about my company?” and “How do I build a media contact list?” Also, you’ll learn the difference between working with broadcast, print and online media.</p>
<p>I hope you’ll attend this session and let us share with you the best ways to publicize your company’s information and expertise. See you in Nashville!</p> </div>
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<span property="dc:title" content="ESX 2012: Maximize your ROI—by talking to the likes of me!" class="rdf-meta element-hidden"></span>Tue, 26 Jun 2012 03:51:16 +0000Tess Nacelewicz15503 at http://securitysystemsnews.comhttp://securitysystemsnews.com/blog/esx-2012-maximize-your-roi-talking-likes-me#commentsSW24 sees bright future for guardshttp://securitysystemsnews.com/blog/sw24-sees-bright-future-guards
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<div class="field-item even" property="schema:author dc:creator">Rich Miller</div>
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<div class="field-item even" property="schema:datePublished dc:created"><span class="date-display-single" property="schema:datePublished dc:created" datatype="xsd:dateTime" content="2012-02-15T00:00:00-05:00">02/15/2012</span></div>
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<div class="field-item even" property="schema:articleBody content:encoded"> <p>“Guards, gates and guns.”</p>
<p>That was the standard for the security industry 20 years ago, as cited by Edward Levy, VP and global head of security for Thomson Reuters, during his keynote address at last week’s TechSec conference in Delray Beach, Fla. But while technology has clearly raised the bar since then, allowing many companies to reduce the number of boots on the ground, a contradictory fact remains: The age of the guard is not over.</p>
<p>To prove the point, look no further than the streets of New York, where SecureWatch24 has announced plans to move aggressively into guard services. The company was recently awarded a contract to supply unarmed guards at an Ivy League alumni club in Manhattan, and it intends to continue to push into this segment with its own training program.</p>
<p>“We’re moving into the guard sector in a big way,” said Jay Stuck, VP of sales and chief marketing officer for SW24, which specializes in property surveillance and video monitoring. “We think it’s pretty compatible with the technology initiatives we have going right now. Our view is that the two can work hand in hand. … At the end of the day, you’re still going to need guys in navy blazers.”</p>
<p>While Stuck sees a bright future for the guard segment, what does the rest of the industry think? You can weigh at <a href="mailto:rmiller@securitysystemsnews.com">rmiller@securitysystemsnews.com</a>.</p> </div>
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<span property="dc:title" content="SW24 sees bright future for guards" class="rdf-meta element-hidden"></span>Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:36:19 +0000Rich Miller15224 at http://securitysystemsnews.comhttp://securitysystemsnews.com/blog/sw24-sees-bright-future-guards#commentsSW24 gears up for intrusion markethttp://securitysystemsnews.com/article/sw24-gears-intrusion-market
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<div class="field-item even"> Security firm names central station manager, expands monitoring capability at headquarters</div>
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<div class="field-item even" property="schema:datePublished dc:date"><span class="date-display-single" property="schema:datePublished dc:date" datatype="xsd:dateTime" content="2012-01-25T00:00:00-05:00">01/25/2012</span></div>
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<div class="field-item even" rel="schema:author dc:creator">Rich Miller</div>
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<div class="field-item even" property="schema:articleBody content:encoded"> <p>NEW YORK—Preparing to expand its footprint to handle alarm monitoring across the United States, SecureWatch24 has named a manager for its new central station in New Jersey and has added intrusion-monitoring capability at its Manhattan headquarters.</p>
<p>SW24 specializes in property surveillance and facilities management. Its main business is video monitoring, with more than 22,000 cameras installed at more than 2,000 buildings in the New York City area. The company has a network operations center and its own proprietary software.</p>
<p>SW24 began to expand its business model last year, signing an agreement with the cable company Mediacom to install cameras in about 200 offices in 20 states. It also signaled its intention to get into intrusion monitoring with the Fusion Centre, a 25,000-square-foot central station under construction in Moonachie, N.J. It is scheduled to open in late July.</p>
<p>“It really is the key to our future,” Jay Stuck, VP of sales and chief marketing officer for SW24, told <em>Security Systems News</em>. “One of the objectives for 2012 … is for us to expand not only to a national footprint, but also to get into residential and commercial intrusion monitoring and more—virtual services, video verification and a host of other state-of-the-art services we’re going to be able to offer our customers.”</p>
<p>SW24 didn’t have to look far to find a manager for the Fusion Centre, announcing on Jan. 11 that it had named Neil Budhram to fill the position. Budhram managed the DGA Security Systems central station in New York for 15 years before joining SW24. He also served as head trainer for DGA.</p>
<p>“Neil’s experience in managing this type of large-scale monitoring operation (and the personnel to staff it) is second to none,” Desmond Smyth, president of SW24, said in a prepared statement. “His first job will be overseeing the infrastructure requirements necessary for obtaining Underwriter Laboratories approval, as well as other anticipated certifications from leading security industry groups.”</p>
<p>Stuck said SW24 is in the process of finalizing agreements and pricing for a dealer program for its video management services, and that the Fusion Centre “will be the jewel in the crown for this program.”</p>
<p>To bridge the gap between now and when the Fusion Centre opens, the company is adding intrusion-monitoring capability at its 1 Penn Plaza headquarters.</p>
<p>“Working with MAS, we are only a few weeks away from staffing this beta site, which will serve as a backup to the Fusion Centre when that facility comes online,” Stuck said. “In the interim, we will be able to begin intrusion monitoring and offer other types of central station services in keeping with the planned rollout of advertising this quarter.”</p> </div>
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<span property="dc:title" content="SW24 gears up for intrusion market" class="rdf-meta element-hidden"></span>Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:41:08 +0000Tess Nacelewicz15185 at http://securitysystemsnews.comhttp://securitysystemsnews.com/article/sw24-gears-intrusion-market#commentsSecureWatch24's new dealer programhttp://securitysystemsnews.com/article/securewatch24s-new-dealer-program
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<div class="field-item even" property="schema:datePublished dc:date"><span class="date-display-single" property="schema:datePublished dc:date" datatype="xsd:dateTime" content="2011-10-25T00:00:00-04:00">10/25/2011</span></div>
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<div class="field-item even" rel="schema:author dc:creator">Daniel Gelinas</div>
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<div class="field-item even" property="schema:articleBody content:encoded"> <p>ORLANDO, Fla.—Video monitoring company SecureWatch24 recently announced that it’s launching a new dealer program for its advanced video monitoring and access control services.</p>
<p>SecureWatch24 in July told <em>Security Systems News</em> about the construction of a high-end, state-of-the-art, video monitoring command center it is calling the <a href="http://www.securitysystemsnews.com/article/securewatch24-ready-expand-biz-model-offerings-new-%E2%80%98fusion-center%E2%80%99" target="_blank">SW24 Fusion Center</a> .</p>
<p>"For us, it's a matter of fusing different technologies and bridging the gap between public and private entities, between local, municipal, state or federal law enforcement and the public sector," SW24 CTO Gene Dellaglio told SSN in July. "There's going to be a lot of different technologies coming in there—some central station burg or intrusion monitoring, systems monitoring, information from all the video management servers, and, in addition, all of our call support. We'll be tying in all the technologies and all the people."</p>
<p>The move to a dealer program, announced here at ASIS 2011, is a marked departure from the company’s decade-long direct sales model, according to SW24 founder and president Des Smith.</p>
<p>"The model that we're planning for the dealers is based on them being able to go install the video, install the alarm and if the account asks about monitoring, the dealer can tell them: 'Yes, I can give you that service.' And not only can they offer that service, but if our equipment and software are in play, we can skin it for the dealer. If you're ABC Alarm and you have a cool logo, when you send out your documentation, when the end user logs on, they see ABC Alarms."</p>
<p>Smith said pricing won’t be available until January, concurrent with the full rollout of the dealer program, when he expected they would begin signing up their first dealers.</p>
<p>Smith says the dealer program will help his company fill an expanding verification niche.</p>
<p>"I don't know how many municipalities require alarm verification, but it's huge and there are very few ways to verify an alarm outside of video," Smith said. "I envision my company becoming the alarm verification company. We don't have to take a dealer's alarm services, but we will be a fully licensed, UL-listed central station with alarm services and video management services. Dealers don't have to build a three-and-a-half million dollar fusion center."</p>
<p>SW24 also this year announced it would be monitoring for Mediacom a large, <a href="http://www.securitysystemsnews.com/blog/sw24-surveil-cable-company" target="_blank">nationwide cable company</a>. The deal expanded their surveillance system network to in five states and plans are on the books, according to Smith, for SW24 to eventually provide security for Mediacom offices, data centers and warehouse locations at more than 200 locations in 22 states.</p> </div>
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<span property="dc:title" content="SecureWatch24&#039;s new dealer program" class="rdf-meta element-hidden"></span>Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:25:31 +0000Tess Nacelewicz15026 at http://securitysystemsnews.comhttp://securitysystemsnews.com/article/securewatch24s-new-dealer-program#commentsSecureWatch24 ready to expand biz model, offerings with new ‘Fusion Center’http://securitysystemsnews.com/article/securewatch24-ready-expand-biz-model-offerings-new-%E2%80%98fusion-center%E2%80%99
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<div class="field-item even" property="schema:datePublished dc:date"><span class="date-display-single" property="schema:datePublished dc:date" datatype="xsd:dateTime" content="2011-07-07T10:32:03-04:00">07/07/2011</span></div>
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<div class="field-item even" rel="schema:author dc:creator">Daniel Gelinas</div>
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<div class="field-item even" property="schema:articleBody content:encoded"><p>NEW YORK—SecureWatch24, a security company started by retired NYCPD officers and specializing in property surveillance and facilities management, recently told <em>Security Systems News</em> they are ready to expand their offerings and footprint and change the face of the industry in their market.</p>
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"There's a lot happening here. We're in a real growth and hiring mode," SW24 chief marketing officer and VP residential sales Jay Stuck said. "You're going to hear a lot about us in the future."</p>
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Stuck said the company, with roots in commercial surveillance in Manhattan, is looking to expand its footprint and business model with the opening of its own monitoring center, which it is calling the SW24 Fusion Center, and which the company plans to begin staffing in January 2012. From the new Moonachie, N.J.-based center, SW24 has plans to expand into the residential intrusion monitoring market.</p>
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"We've got a 25,000-square-foot facility that's under construction right now. It's an existing space we've got that we're building out," Stuck said. "It's going to be a real showplace in terms of video management, video monitoring, and intrusion monitoring."</p>
<p>
SW24’s chief technology officer Gene Dellaglio explained the difference between a typical monitoring center and SW24's vision for the Fusion Center.</p>
<p>
"For us, it's a matter of fusing different technologies and bridging the gap between public and private entities, between local, municipal, state or federal law enforcement and the public sector," Dellaglio said. "There's going to be a lot of different technologies coming in there—some central station burg or intrusion monitoring, systems monitoring, information from all the video management servers, and, in addition, all of our call support. We'll be tying in all the technologies and all the people."</p>
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Dellaglio explained how SW24 uses MOUs—memorandums of understanding—with video surveillance clients to increase the reach of law enforcement and bridge the gap between the public and private sector.</p>
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"Law enforcement agencies and first responders will approach us and they'll say, 'We're doing an investigation in the area and we'd love to access those cameras,'" Dellaglio said. "Every client we have is assigned a representative, so when we get a call from law enforcement we go to the client and explain the situation and the client signs a release and we take care of everything."</p>
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SecureWatch24 said it currently has 22,000 cameras communicating through SW24's NOC (network operations center) in place in Manhattan and in the triborough area, as well as in New Jersey and southern Connecticut. The company offers access control, guard services, executive protection services and private investigations.</p>
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<span property="dc:title" content="SecureWatch24 ready to expand biz model, offerings with new ‘Fusion Center’" class="rdf-meta element-hidden"></span>Thu, 07 Jul 2011 14:32:03 +0000legacy_editor14788 at http://securitysystemsnews.comhttp://securitysystemsnews.com/article/securewatch24-ready-expand-biz-model-offerings-new-%E2%80%98fusion-center%E2%80%99#comments